In many cases, the physician will prescribe that a patient take several pharmaceuticals, and specifically in such a way that the pharmaceuticals are to be taken simultaneously or at intervals. Boxes have been developed for this purpose in hospitals for their own use, in which boxes the totality of the pharmaceuticals for one day is supplied to the patient all at once. The possibilities of error in intake are not ruled out by this, since it is always possible for the patient to forget to take one or other of the tablets, or not to comply with the prescribed time interval.
It has also emerged that, in certain cases, consecutive administration of two pharmacological active compounds at intervals results in surprising and exceptional effects, that is to say this entails one component being released first. Thus, sequential consecutive administration of (A) xanthine derivatives or their active metabolites on the one hand, and (B) acetylsalicylic acid or its pharmacologically tolerated salts on the other hand, in a particular sequence, brings about an extremely large improvement in the therapy of diseases which are caused by or associated with derangements of the constituents of blood, especially platelets and erythrocytes, but also leukocytes. The sequential administration of xanthine derivatives, especially pentoxifylline, which is followed after a minimum of 10 minutes to 4 hours by administration of acetylsalicylic acid or its salt, results in much more potent effects than when the combination of the two individual substances is administered at once, in which case there is in fact a reduction in this action.
Dispensing packs which contain various chambers and, in addition, adjacent thereto instructions for intake have already been described (U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,670). Although it is possible by use of these dispensing packs to reduce errors by the patient with regard to correct timing of intake, it is not possible to rule them out. Where dispensing packs of this type contained more than one dosage unit, the units were identical in form. Moreover, it is not possible by use of dispensing packs of this type to avoid abrasion damage to the two dosage units during movements of the pack, which are unavoidable.
The invention thus has the object of even further increasing the security against mix-ups for the patient where administration of several tablets is necessary and can be predicted beforehand by the manufacturer of pharmaceuticals.